"8 YEARS AGO TODAY I WAS AT OLYMPIC TRIALS, NOW I'M FIGHTING TO ENSURE MEN DON'T STEAL THESE OPPORTUNITIES" -RILEY GAINES RECALLS 2016 U.S. TRIALS

Riley Gaines shared a cryptic post on the eighth anniversary of her competing at the 2016 U.S. Swimming Olympic Team Trials, where she competed in the 100-meter freestyle event as a 16-year-old. The former Kentucky swimmer hasn't swum competitively since the controversial decision in 2022 during the NCAA Championships. She wasn't part of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials as well.

Gaines squared off against transgender swimmer Lia Thomas during the 2022 NCAA Championships in the 200m freestyle finals. Both swimmers had clocked a similar time and were tied for fifth position. However, the fifth place was handed to Thomas by the officials, causing a public outcry.

Gaines claimed that she was told by the officials that they had instructions to hand the trophy to the transgender swimmer. While the NCAA did amend its rules over transgender participation in women's sports, Gaines went on to become a full-time activist, leaving her swimming career after the championships.

July 3rd marked eight years since Riley Gaines competed in the 2016 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials. She had finished seventh in her 100m freestyle heat, posting the 85th fastest time among 100 swimmers. Gaines recalled her time from 2016, claiming that she now had to fight against ‘men's' participation in women's sports to ensure girls like her younger sister get the same opportunities as she got during her time.

"8 years ago today, at only 16-years old, I was at Olympic trials vying for a spot on the U.S. women's Olympic team. Now I'm fighting to ensure men don't steal these same opportunities from girls like my younger sister. Oh how much we've regressed under the guise of "progress"," she wrote on X.

Gaines had qualified for the 2021 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials but did not compete later. She left the sport following a row with Lia Thomas in 2022 and wasn't part of the 2024 Swimming Trials as well.

"I wish I could have done better"- Riley Gaines on her 2016 Olympic Trials performance

Riley Gaines posted a time of 57.46s in the women's 100m freestyle heats. It wasn't enough to qualify her for the semifinals, ranking her 7th in her heats, and 85th overall. Speaking in an interview with Tennessean later, Gaines said:

"I wish I could have done better, but I wasn't expecting too much."

The then 16-year-old claimed that she had trained twice before the competition which could've been one of the factors behind her slower time.

"The day before I competed, I had doubles, which means I trained twice that day. I wasn't rested much, but I understand why, considering I only had one event to race," she added.

Riley Gaines went on to post a personal best time of 55.91s in the event later in 2021.

2024-07-02T22:00:03Z dg43tfdfdgfd